GAINESVILLE, Fla., and CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Two more top-10 marks in school history were achieved by the Purdue track & field team at a pair of meets on Saturday, at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, and the Gary Wieneke Memorial in Champaign, Illinois.
Sophomore Seth Allen improved his place at No. 3 in program history in the discus on the second day of the two-day meet at Florida, and freshman Douglas Buckeridge entered the top-10 list in the 1,500-meter at No. 10 at Illinois. Allen and graduate student Safin Wills notched marks that are No. 10 in the NCAA East Region.
Allen's performance came on a hot and cloudless day for the Boilermaker sprinters, distance runners and throwers at Florida's James G. Pressly Stadium and Percy Beard Track. Buckeridge's finish was on a warm and mostly sunny day for the squad's jumpers and select sprinters and distance runners at Illinois' Demirjian Park. Buckeridge earned one of six top-three finishes for the Boilermakers at the two meets, and Allen picked up one of eight personal-best marks on the day.
The afternoon in Florida began with Allen in the discus, where his second attempt went 59.32 meters. It was a collegiate best by 0.72m to improve his place at No. 3 in school history. Just 0.03m shy of tying for second in team history, Allen's throw is the best by a Boilermaker since the record of 62.91m was set in 2018 by Ashmon Lucas.
Allen finished the day in fifth place overall in Saturday's invitational event.
Meanwhile in Illinois, Buckeridge inserted his name on Purdue's 1,500m list at No. 10. His time of 3:47.39 was good for a spot in the record books by 0.02 seconds. Six of the times on the current top-10 list have come in the last four seasons. Buckeridge was the runner-up on Saturday in a tight race that saw the top four finishers cross the line within 1.20 seconds.
Wills was third in the long jump at U of I with a mark of 7.71m-w. The mark came on Wills' sixth and final jump and gave him a third-place finish. It just topped his third attempt of 7.70m as he made his outdoor season debut.
While a 2.6 m/s wind prevents Wills from moving up in the record books, it is legal for NCAA East Prelims qualification, and that jump and Allen's throw are both 10th-best in the region.
In one of the final events of the day in Illinois, junior Jason Polydoris won the 5,000m. He notched a season-best time of 14:36.04 to win by 3.01 seconds.
Junior Brady Yoder and freshman Sofia Munoz joined Buckeridge with second-place finishes in distance events Saturday at Illinois. Yoder's came in the 3,000m steeplechase to begin the day on the track, as he ran a personal-record 9:14.15. Munoz ran the 1,500m in 4:36.19 to earn the second-place showing in her outdoor collegiate debut.
Freshman Bode Gilkerson also was second in the high jump. He cleared 2.11m on his third attempt, a new PR.
Personal-bests at U of I also were achieved by seniors Gabrielle Green (800m, 2:23.60) and Caleb Williams (1,500m, 3:49.43) and freshman Kaden Stewart (high jump, 2.01m). Junior Grant Gogel (pole vault, 5.00m) and sophomore Collin Kao (pole vault, 5.00m) also tied their PRs on Saturday.
On Friday to begin the weekend, graduate student Cameron Miller broke the school record in the 200m, junior Emma Squires entered the record books in the steeplechase with a victory, and sophomore Kiefer Bell added a win of his own in the steeplechase.
The Boilermakers are back together again next weekend, as they travel to Lexington, Kentucky, for the Jim Green Invitational. The two-day meet, from April 19-20, will give Purdue an early look at this year's host track for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in late May.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.
Sophomore Seth Allen improved his place at No. 3 in program history in the discus on the second day of the two-day meet at Florida, and freshman Douglas Buckeridge entered the top-10 list in the 1,500-meter at No. 10 at Illinois. Allen and graduate student Safin Wills notched marks that are No. 10 in the NCAA East Region.
Allen's performance came on a hot and cloudless day for the Boilermaker sprinters, distance runners and throwers at Florida's James G. Pressly Stadium and Percy Beard Track. Buckeridge's finish was on a warm and mostly sunny day for the squad's jumpers and select sprinters and distance runners at Illinois' Demirjian Park. Buckeridge earned one of six top-three finishes for the Boilermakers at the two meets, and Allen picked up one of eight personal-best marks on the day.
The afternoon in Florida began with Allen in the discus, where his second attempt went 59.32 meters. It was a collegiate best by 0.72m to improve his place at No. 3 in school history. Just 0.03m shy of tying for second in team history, Allen's throw is the best by a Boilermaker since the record of 62.91m was set in 2018 by Ashmon Lucas.
Allen finished the day in fifth place overall in Saturday's invitational event.
Meanwhile in Illinois, Buckeridge inserted his name on Purdue's 1,500m list at No. 10. His time of 3:47.39 was good for a spot in the record books by 0.02 seconds. Six of the times on the current top-10 list have come in the last four seasons. Buckeridge was the runner-up on Saturday in a tight race that saw the top four finishers cross the line within 1.20 seconds.
Wills was third in the long jump at U of I with a mark of 7.71m-w. The mark came on Wills' sixth and final jump and gave him a third-place finish. It just topped his third attempt of 7.70m as he made his outdoor season debut.
While a 2.6 m/s wind prevents Wills from moving up in the record books, it is legal for NCAA East Prelims qualification, and that jump and Allen's throw are both 10th-best in the region.
In one of the final events of the day in Illinois, junior Jason Polydoris won the 5,000m. He notched a season-best time of 14:36.04 to win by 3.01 seconds.
Junior Brady Yoder and freshman Sofia Munoz joined Buckeridge with second-place finishes in distance events Saturday at Illinois. Yoder's came in the 3,000m steeplechase to begin the day on the track, as he ran a personal-record 9:14.15. Munoz ran the 1,500m in 4:36.19 to earn the second-place showing in her outdoor collegiate debut.
Freshman Bode Gilkerson also was second in the high jump. He cleared 2.11m on his third attempt, a new PR.
Personal-bests at U of I also were achieved by seniors Gabrielle Green (800m, 2:23.60) and Caleb Williams (1,500m, 3:49.43) and freshman Kaden Stewart (high jump, 2.01m). Junior Grant Gogel (pole vault, 5.00m) and sophomore Collin Kao (pole vault, 5.00m) also tied their PRs on Saturday.
On Friday to begin the weekend, graduate student Cameron Miller broke the school record in the 200m, junior Emma Squires entered the record books in the steeplechase with a victory, and sophomore Kiefer Bell added a win of his own in the steeplechase.
The Boilermakers are back together again next weekend, as they travel to Lexington, Kentucky, for the Jim Green Invitational. The two-day meet, from April 19-20, will give Purdue an early look at this year's host track for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in late May.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.